After asking around a bit, I've found that, on a system that runs Windows XP (32 bit edition, so can't use more than 2 gigs ram) the best way for me to improve my system performance when editing videos is to upgrade the processor. Unfortunately, it seems that there is no information out there about what kinds of processors would actually work with my current motherboard. I know that the socket number is important, but I know that there are other factors to take into account as well.

eh, pre-built computers (especially dells) are fairly hard to upgrade because they use proprietary hardware. I think the pentium D 830 is pretty much the best you'll be able to put into that computer (you might be able to put in a pentium D 840...but good luck finding one, it's not worth it imo)

32-bit systems can use up to 4GB of ram (though certain factors may prevent you from seeing all 4GB) but unless your computer is actually using all of your current ram, more ram won't help at all (if it did, the improvement wouldn't really be that noticeable)

I had a Dell XPS 400 from February 2006 and it worked pretty good for me and still would if I didn't want to play some demanding games like FSX. (It also just died when I cleaned it after removing a HDD to put in my new build). I upgraded it to 2 GB of RAM and replaced my old GT 6600 with a GTX 8600 (my 380 watt psu couldn't handle any higher GC and replacing it PSU was out of the question).

Honestly, for less than $1000 you should be able to find/build a pretty decent editing rig. You can get a good C2D CPU for under $200, 4GB RAM for around $100, a good MoBo for ~$200, Graphics for ~$150-200, 1TB HDD for ~$180-200, Opitcal Drive for < $80, and a case for ~$80.

Some other PC manufactuers also have some competent PCs just under or a little over $1000. Just avoid Alienware...

Kariudo wrote:eh, pre-built computers (especially dells) are fairly hard to upgrade because they use proprietary hardware.

It's not that it's proprietary, it's that they choose the processor, RAM, HDD, etc, and find the cheapest motherboard that can accommodate all of them without leaving room for expansion. The pre-built system market doesn't benefit if you can upgrade your hardware significantly - they want that extra sale for a whole new system.